Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 82 The Prefectural Examination Begins

In this long line, Lu Chuan attracted many curious glances from students.

Submitting county examination diplomas, verifying family records (family history for three generations), submitting insurance policies...

After queuing for most of the day, Lu Chuan finally received a document stamped with the official seal of the prefectural school from the clerk.

That was the examination pass, the stepping stone to the main examination hall of the prefecture.

After receiving the examination certificate, Master Zhao gathered the group in a guest room at the inn, lit a stick of incense, and with a solemn expression, began to explain the prefectural examination:

"Listen carefully, students. Although the prefectural examination is nominally presided over by the prefect, the examiners are mostly the educational officials of the prefecture. In the county examination, you faced hundreds of people; here, you are facing the examinees of the entire prefecture."

"The main event, held on April 10th, is of utmost importance."

Master Li held up three fingers:

"First, the main examination questions include two essays from the Four Books and the Eight-Legged Essay, one essay from the Five Classics, and one poem for the examination. The handwriting must be flawless, and the essay must not contain any taboos."

"Secondly, in the main examination of the prefectural government, more than half of the candidates are eliminated. Only those whose names are listed on the list of those to be recruited are eligible to participate in the subsequent re-examination."

"Third, the number of re-examination sessions is unpredictable. Sometimes it tests the interpretation of classics, sometimes it tests the writing of judgments, and sometimes the prefect himself will personally conduct an additional examination on policy essays. The final top scorer in the prefecture will be determined by combining the rankings from all sessions."

Master Li stared into Lu Chuan's eyes and earnestly admonished him:

"Lu Chuan, your words at the literary gathering were too sharp and have already alarmed the prefect and the prefectural school. In the main examination, remember not to take any more risky moves. Leave those overly radical political views for the second round of the examination. In the main examination, you must be steady and reliable. As long as your essay is solid and well-structured, with your foundation, you will definitely pass the second round of the examination."

Zhang Ruo and the others were awed and accepted the instruction.

"Rest assured, Master." Lu Chuan looked up, his eyes clear and bright. "I will certainly live up to your expectations."

For the next three days, Lu Chuan closed his doors to visitors.

He stopped paying attention to the outside world's commotion and returned to his purest state.

Lu Shouye also moved a stool and sat at the door, never making a sound except when handing food to his son.

Outside the inn, the air seemed to grow scorching.

The exam supplies in the bookstore were sold out, and the sound of students reading aloud could be heard late into the night in various inns.

On April 10th, at the first light of dawn, the prefectural examination began.

Having experienced the trials of the county examination, Lu Chuan's mind was no longer troubled.

However, Lu Shouye was far from being calm.

The night before, he examined the old examination basket no less than ten times under the oil lamp, trying everything from the writing brush to the dry rations himself.

Before dawn that day, the city was awakened from its slumber.

Torches flickered on the street leading to the examination hall, and figures looked on with anticipation.

Lu Shouye carried the exam basket on his back, his hands gripping the straps tightly.

Upon arriving at the outer perimeter of the examination hall, the yamen runners had already set up a long cordon, allowing only examinees and their guarantors to enter.

Lu Shouye was forced to stop. Through the dark crowd, he stared at Lu Chuan's back until Lu Chuan turned around and gave him a reassuring nod. Only then did he let out a trembling sigh of relief, but he still stubbornly stayed in place, refusing to move an inch.

At the beginning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the vermilion gate of the examination hall slowly opened.

The entry process was extremely rigorous.

Lu Chuan lined up in the open space to wait according to the roster number.

On the high platform, several clerks with ashen faces held rosters and spoke in loud voices:

"Qingyang County, Luchuan—!"

Lu Chuan's spirits lifted, and he stepped forward, replying, "Yes."

At that moment, all eyes around me felt like needles sticking out from behind.

Many scholars were eager to see what kind of person this young man, who had won first place in the literary gathering, was.

Immediately afterwards, the chanting began again:

"Lu Chuan, and the government-subsidized students Zhao Xiuyuan and Li Wannianbao!"

Master Zhao and Scholar Li, who had been waiting nearby, immediately stepped forward, cupped their hands in the direction of the chief examiner, and chanted: "Student Zhao Xiuyuan, Scholar Li Wannianbao."

This public confirmation of joint liability was a requirement of the imperial examination system for those with a clean personal background.

After confirming that everything was correct, the clerk made a mark on the register, signaling Lu Chuan to proceed to the next step: search.

The searches during the prefectural examinations were even more blatant than those during the county examinations. The yamen runners roughly fiddled with the students' collars and hair buns, and even broke open their dry rations for close inspection.

Lu Chuan remained calm throughout the inspection.

After passing through multiple security gates, Lu Chuan found his designated spot, "Number 49, Earth".

The cell was cramped, only big enough for one person to sit or lie down.

Lu Chuan put down the exam basket, took out his own old cloth, dipped it in the water from his water bag, and carefully wiped the tabletop clean.

For him, it must be spotless.

Next, sit down, close your eyes, and regulate your breathing.

After an unknown amount of time, three sharp cracks of the whip resounded, followed by thunderous drumbeats above the examination hall.

The prefectural examination has officially begun.

The clerks walked through the passageway, distributing the examination papers one by one.

Lu Chuan took it with both hands, laid it flat on the cleaned wooden board, and swept it towards the question.

The main hall of the prefectural examination emphasized "one essay and one poem".

The eight-legged essay question comes from the Analects: "Love others with benevolence, and understand others with wisdom."

The topic of the test poem is "New Thunder", and it is limited to a five-character, six-rhyme regulated verse with the rhyme scheme of "thunder, open, urge, platform, come".

Upon seeing this formulaic essay topic, Lu Chuan felt certain.

This question is exceptionally well-designed.

Lu Chuan did not rush to put pen to paper. He first laid out the backbone of the article on the draft paper: "Loving people" is not about giving alms, but about enabling people to stand on their own feet; "Knowing people" is not about recognizing talent, but about distinguishing between the false and the wicked.

Grind the ink and moisten the brush.

The brush falls onto the rice paper.

The key point is: "Benevolence embodies the destiny of all things, while wisdom discerns the wickedness of all generations. To love people without understanding them is to turn benevolence into hypocrisy; to understand people without loving them is to turn wisdom into mere tactics."

He wrote: The so-called "love for others" is by no means condescending charity and pity, but rather giving farmers land, giving scholars paths, and removing their shackles, which is true benevolence.

He discussed "knowing people": True wisdom is the ability to see through appearances and discern who are the parasites who bring disaster to the country and resentment to the people, and who are the backbone who stand up for the country.

Lu Chuan wrote this article extremely quickly.

Between the lines lies a silent lash out at those mediocre officials who only talk about benevolence and wisdom but turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people.

After finishing his eight-legged essay, Lu Chuan's forehead was already beaded with sweat.

He took a sip of cold water and then turned his attention to the examination poems.

The topic "New Thunder" is the easiest to write about, resulting in a vivid description of spring but empty content.

He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen and wrote his "New Ode to Thunder" on the draft paper:

"A sudden clap of thunder startled the spring, and a deep rumble of thunder arose from hibernation."

He wanted to write about everything that followed the thunder:

"The dark and gloomy clouds dispersed, and gradually the colorful clouds parted."

Furthermore, it is necessary to write down Lei Sheng's appeal to the farmers:

"The soil is moist, the plow is quick, and the warm wind urges the swallows and sparrows to graze."

Finally, it all comes down to the hope for national peace and prosperity:

"No need to climb or gaze afar, auspicious air fills the dressing table. Wait for the rains of a bountiful year, and life will come to every household."

This poem, devoid of ornate flowery language, possesses a greater sense of concern, echoing the people-oriented ideology inherent in traditional Chinese essays.

By the time I finished answering the questions, the sun was already setting.

Lu Chuan reviewed the entire process again from beginning to end.

Following the rules, he carefully folded the name and place of origin sections and sealed them with special glue to complete the "name sealing".